The Destruction of Man
by Paradoxicality
Summary: The human race unknowingly harbours a ticking time bomb ready to cause absolute destruction across the planet. Today is the day the human race is destined to end. Today is the day the Doctor destroys the Earth. Part 2 of 2
1. Chapter 1

MAKE SURE YOU READ _'LIFE ON EARTH' _FIRST, SINCE THIS IS PART TWO OF THE STORY...DONE THAT? AWESOME! THEN PLEASE CONTINUE...

Amy felt her hands shaking against her forehead. Her arms ached from holding them above her head for so long, but she dare not move them. She didn't know why, but it felt safe somehow. She let out a deep breath, and opened her eyes. She could see metallic rubble strewn across the floor, and sparks still falling from the ceiling and bouncing off the ground. But the room seemed lighter somehow; the dark endless space from outside replaced by some kind of white light. She moved slightly and immediately noticed that something was touching her back. It had obviously been there for quite some time since she had felt nothing before, but now she was scared to move again.

"Are you alright?" A strained voice whispered above her. It was James. She let out a sigh.

"Yeah, um, I'm fine. What's going on? Are you OK?"

"Yeah, but can you just move out from under me?" He said with a slight laugh. Amy crawled out and stood up, dusting soot and dirt from her top. She looked down to see James knelt on the floor with a large piece of metal bent around his back. He had clearly grabbed and protected her when the ceiling had fallen in.

"Oh, God." Amy exclaimed, covering her mouth in horror. She immediately ran over to his back and tried to prise the metal sheet from him. It took all her strength but it eventually clanged to the floor. His shirt was torn and scratched underneath.

"You're clearly not OK then." Amy said, offering him a hand up.

"Like I said; made of metal. Might mean I get eaten away by nanobytes, but it does mean I can survive a bit more force than the average person." He smiled, but was clearly in pain as he tried to straighten his back. Amy allowed him to lean on her.

"Stupid idiot. You shouldn't have risked your life like that. Again." She smiled, hugging him in the process.

A quiet groaning came from the corner of the room, and Amy and James looked up to see the Captain lying in a heap, surrounded by debris. Amy rushed to him, and James hobbled behind.

"Captain, can you hear me?" Amy asked, kneeling down beside him. He groaned to life and scrunched his eyes up.

"Yeah...yeah..." He said deliriously. He unsteadily got to his feet, stumbling slightly. "James, thank goodness." He said, as he saw the young man's face. "And where's the Doctor?"

Amy looked around herself. The last time she had seen him, he had he rushed out of the room. She weirdly felt betrayed. "I dunno." She said simply.

"More to the question, where are we?" James asked. He had turned around and was looking out of the large window across the front of the control room. Amy and the Captain followed suit, and observed the blank white space outside. They were clearly in some sort of indoor area; they could make out the sides of the room and a far off ceiling, but it still felt unfamiliar and unnerving. Amy walked cautiously towards the window and looked slowly from one side to the other. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a tiny brown dot to the left side of the space. It seemed to be waving.

"Doctor?" She said, peering down.

"Hello Amy!" He replied, happily talking through a megaphone. "Don't worry, you're all safe now."

"Doctor is that really you?" The Captain asked, supporting James as they too walked closer to the window.

"Ah, the Captain. And James, perfect, you all made it. Sorry to leave you all but I had to make sure you didn't die." He said nonchalantly.

"Where are we?" Amy yelled down.

"Where do you think?" The Doctor said, slightly surprised Amy hadn't caught on yet.

Amy peered around some more before something clicked in her head. "The TARDIS?" She asked in confusion. The Doctor nodded. "But...how? You didn't drive the ship into the TARDIS did you?" Amy asked.

"Well, no, obviously. I wrapped the TARDIS around the ship. Clever little trick you can do with most infinitely sized trans-dimensional space ships. You should try it sometime."

"Then how do we get down?" Amy asked.

"What?"

"How do we get down?" Amy repeated, slightly louder and more enunciated.

"I can't hear you. You'll have to come down. Use the lifts; I rewired them so that they stop outside of the ship."

Amy rolled her eyes and helped James and the Captain navigate the half-eaten hallways until they reached the lift. When they got down, Amy immediately ran up to the Doctor and hugged him tightly before pounding him on the arm.

"I thought you'd run off without us." She said angrily.

"Well, no, why would I do that?"

Amy shrugged and rubbed her arm to comfort herself. The Doctor gave her another hug.

"How are you two? Did you manage to get everyone off the ship in time, Captain?" The Doctor asked.

"Well James here has had a nasty blow to his back, and clearly something terrible happened to his forearm. As for the passengers and crew, I ensured they all left on escape pods. I came into the control room to collect you, and then the whole thing exploded. But I feel alright."

"Good. Well, Amy, show James and the Captain to the medical bay, I'll be there right after I check where I landed us." Amy nodded, and the Doctor jogged out of the room.

As he entered the TARDIS' control room he flicked a few switches, but to no response.

"Gone quiet on me, old girl?" He said under his breath. He sighed and slowly went to the doors, peering outside. He was met with a gun pointed in his face.

"State your name and intent," A uniformed officer said. "Or your ship gets blown sky high."


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah, UNIT. As friendly as ever I see." The Doctor said, stepping out of the TARDIS and looking at the large group of gathered soldiers, all with weapons aimed squarely at him.

"State your name." The officer said once again, tightening his grip on the gun.

"The Doctor." The Doctor said, placing a hand on top of the gun and pushing it down slowly. The officer stared at him before pressing a small white device on his lapel.

"The man claims to be the Doctor, sir." He said, speaking into the communicator.

"Do a facial scan then Lieutenant." A gruff voice responded.

The Lieutenant pulled down his cuff, twisted a dial on a tool strapped to his wrist, and scanned the Doctor's face slowly. The Doctor sighed and looked around himself. They seemed to have landed in a recluse area of countryside, the lush green fields rolling on for miles in every direction, disappearing beneath darkened woods in the distance.

"He's the Doctor. The...eleventh." The Lieutenant said after a little while.

"Bring him in." The voice responded.

The Lieutenant raised an arm and the soldiers behind him lowered their weapons. He then proceeded to salute at the Doctor, who wished the pomp and circumstance would hurry up.

"Doctor, it is my greatest pleasure to finally meet you. It's the year 2092, and you've landed in Worcestershire, England, Earth, sir." He lowered his hand and held it out. The Doctor shook it wearily. "The Colonel wishes to see you in his offices over there, if it would suit you. Purely as a reconnaissance meeting; it's been a long time since we've made contact."

"Well, the thing is I've kinda got my own problems going on...hang on, his offices are over where?" The Doctor suddenly thought.

"Ah, sorry." The Lieutenant raised his arm once more and twisted the dial on his wrist in the opposite direction. The Doctor turned around in amazement as a series of buildings appeared into view; a large garage area, two glass domed buildings and a large skyscraper.

"Wow, UNIT, you have grown up." The Doctor said, mostly to himself.

"If you'd like to follow me sir." The Lieutenant marched off, his officers following close behind.

"Hang on." The Doctor shouted, not moving anywhere. "I'll literally be five minutes, just got to sort a few things out in my ship." He knocked on the side of the TARDIS.

"OK, fine, I'll let the Colonel know you'll be right with him. But don't make him wait Doctor; you may be a special case, but he still won't hold any punches when it comes to tardiness." The Lieutenant saluted once more, and headed into the skyscraper.

The Doctor took a minute to admire the elegant buildings before going back into the TARDIS. The control room remained unlit, and Amy was casually flicking switches. She looked up as he came in.

"So, where are we?" She asked.

"Oh, you know, just a military base. On Earth. In the year 2092." The Doctor began tugging on random levers and buttons, but the TARDIS failed to respond. Amy stopped and stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Wait, as in the 2090s when Earth is meant to be destroyed? You've landed us in the exact spot where we're destined to destroy the planet with a trunk load of nanobytes in tow?" She shouted.

"Ah, but are we?" The Doctor said. "Remember the recording; I think we've already fulfilled that prophecy at least."

Amy thought for a moment. "Right before the ship crashed and you left to get the TARDIS, of course. I thought I was having déjà vu during that time. James must've hit the SOS button."

"And the TARDIS amplified the signal and bounced it around different time zones. That's why the Professor and everyone had such a job trying to get it clear."

"Fine, we may not destroy the Earth, but we still have a load of metal eating mutants in the back in roughly the same time period as when Earth was said to have been destroyed. Can't you just zoom us out of here?" Amy asked, flicking on more controls herself.

"See, that might be a problem. Looks like carrying the weight of that ship and time travelling took the energy out of the old girl; she's not responding, probably restoring the power that she can."

Amy huffed. "Then do you have a plan?"

"Yes! For now, the nanobytes should have a whale of a time eating their way through the remains of the ship, and if they get much worse, there are a few rooms back there I could happily lose. So while they're busy, if I can set up a strong enough electromagnetic force, I can jump start the TARDIS back into life, and knock out all remaining nanobytes once and for all." The Doctor smiled, pleased with his own genius. Amy stared at him, arms crossed. "What?" He asked at last.

"There's always a 'but'." She said.

"Yeah, I guess there is. But, if I don't set it up right, the electromagnetic pulse could backfire and override the TARDIS controls, meaning we're stuck here forever."

Amy rolled her eyes.

"And there's another 'but'," The Doctor said. "If the nanobytes get too out of hand, they could eat their way to the TARDIS' power source, and potentially implode it. Wiping out the TARDIS. And us. And probably the whole planet."

"What? So that's how we get everyone killed. Great, if only you didn't-" Amy yelled, but stopped when the Doctor raised his hand.

"I've just thought of another 'but'," He said giddily. Amy stared at him, anger burning in her eyes. "If the nanobytes get out of the TARDIS and into the UNIT buildings outside, knowing the sort of weird alien stuff UNIT likes to collect, that could probably cause a big explosion too. Maybe not the whole world though; that's a plus isn't it?" The Doctor looked at Amy eagerly. She didn't say a word.

Instead she leant against the console and lowered her head slowly, closing her eyes, feeling defeated.

"Yeah." Said the Doctor in response.


	3. Chapter 3

"So what's first?" Amy said, lifting her head up.

"First, I need to go get equipment to set up the EMP. And where better to find some stuff than the UNIT headquarters?"

"You're going to steal from heavily armed military? That seems wise." Amy quipped.

"Oh, they won't mind. It's for the greater good. Anyway, we go way back, they owe me one. Or I owe them one...I've lost count." The Doctor stared upwards, lost in thought, before simply smiling.

James and the Captain came down the stairs from the corridor. James had his arm in a sling and was wearing a different shirt, and the Captain had a few cuts and bruises plastered up, but still wore his uniform, and hat, with pride.

"Quite the place you have here Doctor." The Captain said, admiring the control room.

"You should see it when it's actually working." The Doctor said, aimlessly pressing at the controls and sighing.

"So are we just flying through space now? Are you able to take us back to 6-K, Doctor?" James asked.

"Not right now. We're uh, on Earth at the moment." He said, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"What?" The Captain exclaimed. "But how? We should be burning up from the radiation out there."

"See, that's the thing, Earth isn't so irradiated at the moment." Amy said.

"I'm not following." The Captain said.

"My ship can travel through time. We've landed on Earth before it was destroyed." The Doctor said quickly, trying to get it out of the way.

James' eyes opened wide, with both joy and amazement, while the Captain seemed sceptical.

"Through time? I don't understand, time travel..." He trailed off as the Doctor opened the door to outside. Through the gap he could see lush green fields and blue clear skies. "...isn't possible." He muttered to himself, joining the Doctor at the door.

"Can we go out there Doctor? I mean, was Earth dangerous before it was destroyed?" James asked like a giddy child, scampering up to him. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Hang on a second. I have to go meet someone. Amy, maybe you can show them around a bit while I'm gone."

"What, around a field?" She said, annoyed that she was being put in charge of the 'children'.

"I won't be long," The Doctor said, casually stumbling out of the door. "You boys be good." He called back.

James and the Captain were still staring in amazement from within the TARDIS as Amy walked past them and to the outside. "Come on then." She said, beckoning them out.

They tentatively took steps outside of the TARDIS, cautious of every move they made. A light gust of wind caught them by surprise and they both shivered.

"I thought you two travelled around on a ship? You must've been to alien planets before." Amy asked.

"Yeah, but this is Earth. Actual Earth, the thing that was written about in all the history books; all the stories of the bluest of skies and greenest of...'grath'? Is that what it is?" James asked.

"Grass." Amy corrected him. He nodded.

"This must be quite an experience for you too, Amy. Travelling to such a historic planet." The Captain said. Amy played with her hair, deliberating whether to come clean or not.

"See, the thing is, I'm a lot more used to it than you would think; I was born here. I'm human." She said, finding the statement to be much more dramatic than normal. "That's what we're called, by the way, humans not 'Earthians'." James and the Captain both seemed taken aback.

"So, you and the Doctor are both from here, and travelled away in your time ship before the planet was destroyed?" The Captain asked, stroking the outside of the TARDIS.

"Uh, not quite, the Doctor isn't from here; listen, it's complicated, it would take some time to explain. But put simply, this is my home- my planet." She said, looking around herself and actually taking the time to admire the place. She watched as a random spaceship flew over head, and birds glided from one set of trees to another.

"Well then, I'm sorry for your loss." James said, his face morose.

Amy turned around, her smile dropping. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the Earth; it's destroyed soon, right? That must be hard for you."

"No, I'm sure we can fix it." Amy said, nonchalantly.

"Fix it?" The Captain asked, concerned.

"The Doctor and me, we can put things right, rewrite time; the Earth isn't meant to be destroyed."

"Who says?" James asked, his voice slightly stern.

"Uh...well...I mean..." Amy stumbled over her words.

"Is that what you and the Doctor do, go around and change time to suit yourselves?" James' voice was growing with anger.

"No, not really we-"

"What gives you the right? Do you just pick and chose when it's best for you; who lives and who dies. Where were you when my planet was destroyed? Where were you when all of my species, my kind, was eaten alive, towns and cities reduced to nothing? Chose to have a day off?" James yelled.

"Well, I mean you-"

"No one should be able to decide those things, no one. Who are you, Amy, anyway? You're no one special. You know what; I don't even want to be on 'your' planet anymore." James shoved his way back through the TARDIS doors.

The Captain gave a sympathetic smile and followed after him. The wind brushed against Amy's hair as she stood out on her planet, alone.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor popped his head around the door to the main UNIT building. The skyscraper was at least 700ft tall, its sides gleaming with spotless glass and shining steel. All the buildings were protected with a force field and perception filter; the filter to prevent intruders, particularly those of the alien variety, and the force field, more than likely, to prevent kamikaze birds flying into the invisible windows.

A receptionist, dressed in slightly less army-like attire, looked up from her desk when she saw the Doctor's head. She immediately brushed down her black dress and gracefully walked towards the Doctor, the sound of her high heels reverberating around the quiet building. She was petite, with short dark brown hair, and spoke with a well practiced Queen's English accent.

"Doctor, sir, may I say it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Rachel Wales, welcome to UNIT headquarters. This is quite an honour, both for UNIT and for me personally." She seemed slightly star struck as she put out a hand in his direction.

The Doctor nodded and manoeuvred his way in to the building. He looked around, observing the endless floors above, all surrounded by twirling staircases and glass walls.

"Lovely place," He said, watching as a few soldiers went from one floor to another. "Not many people though."

"Well, no, this is HQ; it's on a need to know basis. As much as we carry out rigorous checks on all of our staff, there are still some things only the special few are allowed in to." She said, guiding him back to her desk.

"Then why build such a big building?" The Doctor asked, clearly puzzled.

Rachel seemed to stop and think for a moment, before answering frankly. "Aesthetics, I guess." She gave a smile. The Doctor smiled back but continued to stare upwards in curiosity.

"So, you're here to see the Colonel, correct?" Rachel asked, typing away at her computer.

"Uh, kinda."

"He's just down the road in our other, less inconspicuous offices. I'll order transport for you now."

"Actually, I was wondering if I could have a tour around this building. It seems like a nice place; I'd love to know more about it."

"The Colonel really was expecting you..." Rachel looked from her computer screen up to the Doctor's desperate expression. "Oh, I know, hang on."

She opened a drawer in her desk and took out what looked like a tablet PC. She pressed a few buttons, and eventually the Colonel appeared on screen. He was middle-aged, his thick brown beard greying at the edges. His features were well defined but his eyes were sunken and tired.

"Hello Colonel, I have the Doctor to see you. He's in a bit of a rush though, so I wondered if you're free for a conference on the move." She asked, getting up from her desk and moving towards the Doctor.

"I suppose," The Colonel responded gruffly. Rachel handed the device to the Doctor. "Doctor, why the absence?"

"I just need to stay close to my TARDIS; having a few technical issues." The Doctor said as he was led up a flight of stairs by Rachel. He barely paid attention as the Colonel said something about something.

"Are you with my so far, Doctor?" The Colonel asked. The Doctor looked down at the screen in confusion.

"Um...yeah." The Doctor said blindly. The Colonel seemed pleased.

He continued to blab on, as Rachel pointed out several rooms on their way up the tower. There were monstrously large laboratories, huge conference rooms, a cafeteria, a computer room, an armoury; this placed seemed to be fully kitted out. And yet by the sixteenth floor the ideas seemed to wear thin. There were more conference rooms with no chairs, more computer rooms full of devices that didn't even seem to have been used, and even some rooms that were just plain empty.

"Doctor. Doctor!" The Colonel yelled after a while. The Doctor looked down once more and nimbly removed his sonic from his jacket.

"Yeah, sorry Colonel just having a few interference problems." He said, moving his sonic underneath the device and whirring it around. The Colonel's image faded slowly as he yelled the Doctor's name for the umpteenth time. The Doctor shrugged innocently. "Oops." He said to Rachel. She gave him a cautious look before smiling.

"I think we should turn back now anyway. Nothing else except more rooms like this all the way to the top."

"But there must be at least another 30 or 40 floors to this place. Are they really all the same?" The Doctor asked, bemused by the emptiness of the building.

"Afraid so. And I should know; there are cameras for every single floor that project straight to another room behind my desk."

"Well, mind if I take the lift up to the top floor? Just to admire the view." The Doctor said, pressing the nearby lift button. Rachel didn't really have time to answer before the Doctor had hopped in. "You can go back to your desk, don't worry about me. See you later!" He waved as the lift doors closed. Rachel sighed and began the long descent down the stairs.

The Doctor tentatively took a step out when he reached the top floor. It seemed less well lit, and the rooms even more baron than the ones below. To his relief, however, there was a laboratory nearby with its lights on, and through the glass wall he could see wires and pieces of metal lying around on the table. The Doctor stumbled his way into the room and began leafing his way through the scraps. He felt no better than a petty thief, but it was for the greater good, he decided. He found some slightly useful wires and conductors that he stuck in his pockets, but nothing substantial. He ventured towards a white cupboard at the back of the room. Opening it, the Doctor found a large metal rod, about the size of himself, propped up against the side. What concerned him, however, were several pieces of Dalekanium stored next to it.

"Surprised Doctor?"

The Doctor turned around to see the Colonel stride in. He was a large man; both in build and height, but his age seemed to be of no detriment to his demeanour.

"Don't worry; I'm not in league with those monsters. Merely using their technology to help protect the planet."

"And how do you plan on that exactly?" The Doctor said, striding up to the Colonel.

"I'm making us strong, Doctor. I plan to make the Earth feared."


	5. Chapter 5

James was sat on the seats by the TARDIS console as Amy peered in. She'd been mulling over what he'd said. Rash as it was, she'd never really considered her life here in that light before. What the Doctor and her did was mostly good, and ensured the safety of many planets and people, but there was also always going to be an element of choice; whilst they were saving one race, another was dying out half way across the galaxy. And even with a machine that travels through time, in some cases that can't be prevented.

Time was still a bit of a mystery to her. The Doctor sometimes spoke of 'fixed points'; periods of time that were set in stone, and had to happen for other important events to occur thereafter. Or something to that affect, she hadn't really been paying attention. The Doctor seemed to have a good grasp of these, she wasn't sure how, he just seemed to sense them. He seemed to read time, see it flow and change as different events occurred. The butterfly effect, she presumed. She'd always been a little cautious when they'd travelled back into Earth's history; one wrong move and she could prevent herself from being born. A selfish attitude, perhaps, but it was things like that that made her realise how unstable life was. How, at the slightest change, several people could cease to have ever existed, while others could come to a life they never would have had. Time was a ferocious wind, pushing everything and everyone in its path forwards, never ending, never stopping for anything, causing some events to occur and neglecting others. And here they were, fighting against the wind, moving things away from its natural flow, sometimes to suit them, sometimes just for the hell of it. Part of her wished she was back in Leadworth, eyes shut, drifting along. At least that way she wasn't accountable.

"You know, I dreamt about all this as a little girl," Amy said, slowly walking up the stairs and admiring the console room. James looked up. "Back then I didn't really have a clue what it would be like. I just knew there was this mad, crazy man out there who could probably take me on stupid adventures beyond my imagination. I was right, but..."

Amy moved over to the console and leant against it, opposite James.

"It's hard sometimes," Amy said, looking down. "I know it sounds weird to say, I mean we're travelling through the stars everyday but...I could count on my hands several times when I was this close to giving it all up. Just asking to be dropped back home, because I couldn't handle it anymore." She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath in.

"But I don't because I just love it. And I love the good we do. That feeling that you're making a difference, is just so-"

"Special." James muttered. "You are special."

Amy couldn't tell whether he was being sarcastic or kind.

"I'm not really. I mean, the Doctor's travelled with people before. Women mostly, mind you," She gave James a knowing nod. "I don't do it for the recognition, or the feeling of importance. I do it so that people can live and enjoy their lives. And I'm sorry; I really am, about your planet. But just because we had the ability to save it doesn't mean we necessarily could. I mean, the Doctor could tell you more about the logistics but-"

"Amy, stop; I understand. I was being an idiot, lashing out because I finally saw a way around the thing that's haunted me for most of my life. It's stupid to lay blame on anyone, especially you, after all you and the Doctor have done. I mean, without you two we would've crashed right into the Earth." James said, lightly tugging on his hair.

Amy walked over to him and knelt down, taking his hand.

"It's important to know where your home is though, and who your family are. Your home isn't necessarily the place you were born and your family doesn't have to be blood related; it all depends on you. Carry Doridia as a memory, but treat 6-K as your home; the place you love and want to protect. You really can't live in the past, and coming from a time traveller that's saying something." Amy said with a smile. James nodded and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Made up then?" The Captain asked as he reappeared out of a corridor. "Thought I'd take a wander around this place. How many swimming pools does this thing have exactly?"

"Depends what you count as a swimming pool. The Doctor likes to keep toxic liquids in some; I was nearly made very aware of that." Amy said, jokingly sighing.

"Oh my God." The Captain said. Amy looked at him in curiosity, but he was looking in the other direction, at the set of stairs on the opposite side of the control room. She followed his eye line and suddenly saw what had provoked such a reaction. Descending awkwardly down the stairs was the Professor. His clothes were severely charred and torn, his hair dishevelled and his face dirty and gashed.

He finally reached the bottom of the stairs and stood still, his body limp.

"Professor, I don't understand, I...I made sure you were on the escape pods. How did you survive? Are you alright?" The Captain asked, walking up to him.

The Professor snapped his head up and looked at the Captain. His eyes were metallic silver with red pupils. The Captain stopped and took careful steps backward. Amy and James immediately leapt up in his defence.

"I'm perfectly fine," The Professor said, his voice monotone and slightly metallic. "Amy Pond?" He said, swinging his head in her direction.

"Yeah?" She asked tentatively.

"I wish to destroy your planet."


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor jogged back past Rachel on reception, barely saying goodbye as he pushed through the glass doors to the outside. He was clutching a handful of electrical appliances, and couldn't help but feel like an utter idiot. What he imagined would have turned into a confrontation with the Colonel on the top floor of the building had actually fizzled out; the Doctor had learnt his opposition's plans, knew his motive, and even had time to bundle a few useful items into his invisible goodie bag. But time was running short; the Colonel was getting restless, and had decided to start 'Operation Ancile' ASAP. 'Ancile' was named after the shield belonging to the Roman God of War, Mars. As such, the Colonel planned to briefly convert the Earth's atmosphere to a layer of intense gamma radiation, destroying any incoming spacecraft, and sending out a warning signal to all other planets that, quote, 'Earth was a fearsome planet that should never be messed with'.

The Doctor naturally knew this didn't stand a chance of succeeding, at least in the way the Colonel had imagined, and even if it did it was a ridiculous idea for many, many reasons. And so, another UNIT madman had to be stopped. The Colonel was planning to build the mast on top of the skyscraper, using the Dalekanium to absorb gamma radiation and then launch it into the atmosphere. The Doctor estimated he had a half hour before the Colonel had lumbered his equipment to the roof, and so he had more than enough time to create his EMP device, launch it in the TARDIS in order to eliminate the nanobytes, then prevent Earth from falling foul to another idiot.

The Doctor barged into the TARDIS and shouted, slightly out of breath. "Right, I'm back and...we have company."

The Doctor looked curiously at the mutated Professor on the other side of the control room. He dropped his equipment to one side and slowly walked up the Professor, observing him from all angles as if monitoring a new beast, which for all intents and purposes he was.

"Doctor, he's gone mad; he wants to destroy the planet." Amy said as a warning.

"Oh, not another one. It's like that bit in murder mysteries when everyone claims they want to kill the victim and then Poirot spends far too long working out who did it. I mean for goodness sake man; I knew it was Inglethorp halfway through."

Amy stared at him in confusion before realising he was off on another of his tangents.

"Professor, are you still in there?" The Doctor asked as he was finally in front of the broken man.

"I am all in there, Doctor." The Professor responded, once again in a soulless tinny voice.

"Do you believe him?" Amy asked.

"Yes, I think so," The Doctor shone his sonic screwdriver in the Professor's eyes. "He's been mutated by the nanobytes. I've never seen it before; I guess because whenever anyone sees the things they run a mile. I thought you said you got everyone off the ship, Captain?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, that's what I thought. The Professor was hesitant but..."

"Hesitant about what?"

"Well, his receiver I think; I think he left somewhere and wanted to collect it."

"And you seriously thought he'd just leave it at that?" The Doctor sighed heavily and rubbed his head. "He must've gone back to get it, got knocked out by the explosions and met the nanobytes face to mind." The Doctor stared into the Professor's red eyes.

"The nanobytes are mine now Doctor. We have a compromise."

"A compromise, of course. And could you let me in on this deal of yours?"

"I feed them, they help me maintain the timelines."

"This doesn't sound promising."

"Earth must be destroyed Doctor. In order for this predestination paradoxical timeline to remain. Otherwise we will all cease to exist."

"Well, not cease but.."

"Therefore, I am to release the nanobytes and ensure Earth is destroyed in the year 2092."

Something clicked in Amy's head and she approached the Doctor and Professor. "Wait, you're just an old man. How can you get past us; your bedtime's in an hour."

"Amy." The Doctor warned.

"I shall destroy the Earth, Amy Pond. If you wish me to destroy this vessel and your metallic friend as well, then that is your choice. Leave me to my work and I will not harm that which you hold dear."

Amy's face dropped and she looked around to James. Having a friend made of metal was not ideal right now.

"It would be best to leave Doctor." The Professor said, striding past the Doctor and Amy and out the TARDIS door. A small line of erosion trailed behind him.

The Doctor turned to James and the Captain. "So...welcome to Earth."


	7. Chapter 7

"Right, time to save the planet then." The Doctor clapped his hands together and picked up his equipment. He began putting bits into other pieces, holding some stuff in his mouth, some more under his chin and a pencil behind his ear. Amy, James and the Captain stared at him, unsure as to what had just happened or what to do. After a while James walked up to the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" The Doctor asked, putting an arm out to stop James whilst holding a piece of metal in his mouth.

"To stop him. That whole building's about to collapse."

"Well, one; how much use is a man made of metal going to be against a man made of metal-eating bugs, and two; time flows differently in here. We have some time to form a plan, get our heads together, and not rush in blindly." The Doctor spat out the metal like a child, before attaching it to his device.

"And what would our plan be exactly?" Amy asked, walking towards the Doctor and looking him directly in the eyes.

"To rush in blindly, of course." The Doctor said, admiring his new device and hastily rushing out of the doors. Amy sighed and followed behind him.

The Doctor stopped short staring ahead of him. The Professor was very close to entering the skyscraper, while from the top, the Colonel could be just about made out assembling the mast on the roof.

"That's the trouble with danger; it always comes in twos. Always at opposite ends as well. I mean, team up if you want to take over the world for goodness sake." The Doctor sighed before hastily jogging towards the Professor.

He ducked past him and stood in front of the large double doors to the building, arms stretched over the sides.

"I'm afraid I can't let you in Professor. Change of plans; Earth can be destroyed another day." The Doctor said. The Professor stopped and stared. Amy simply looked on, wondering if the Doctor had any chance at all.

After a moment of nothing happening the Doctor said. "So, what do you say old chap?"

The Professor immediately raised a fist and forced it in the Doctor's direction. The Doctor managed to dodge in time, allowing the Professor's hand to career into the side of the building.

The Doctor smiled at Amy, looking for praise for his nimble movements. She instead looked on aghast, nodding towards the Professor's fist. The Doctor looked too, and saw that the nanobytes had begun to travel down the Professor's arm, onto the side of the building. They had eaten sections of the intricate metal sides, and panes of glass began to waver unsteadily in place.

"Ah. That's not so great." The Doctor noted.

"Great job Doctor. Leading a horse to water, and all that." Amy said, arms crossed.

"I don't think that's the right use of the phrase, Pond, but I get your point," The Doctor bent over and crept towards the Professor, trying to look at his face which was obscured by the arm touching the wall. "He's dying. As I thought. The nanobytes have got their food and they have no other use for him. Poor man; only trying to do right thing." The Doctor said morosely, his tone solemn.

"But Doctor, shouldn't we really be doing something before this whole building falls down? Can't you activate that thing you just built to stop them?" Amy asked.

"Yes but I need a boost. And what better opportunity than up there with that other madman. I should be able to hijack the mast to project the pulse. Let's just hope he doesn't use the mast first." The Doctor said, looking upwards.

"Doctor, what's going on?" A voice called. The Doctor looked back as the Captain and James ran up.

"James stay back. There are nanobytes everywhere; come to close and they'll jump ship to you." The Doctor warned.

"What about the Professor?" The Captain asked.

"I'm afraid he's already gone. No doubt he was nearly dead when the nanobytes took him; now that he's served his purpose, he'll revert back." The Doctor said quietly.

The Captain nodded. "I'll take him back to the TARDIS, if that's OK Doctor?"

"Yes, of course. He may survive for a while yet; make sure you look after him." The Doctor said. The Captain gently placed an arm around the Professor and leant him back, carrying him in his arms, as he headed back to the TARDIS. "You better go too James. I'm sorry but it's too dangerous for you with these things around." The Doctor said, watching as the nanobytes randomly made their way up the side of the building, not quite destroying it but severely weakening it.

"I know. But please, let me do one last thing for Amy." James said. The Doctor and Amy looked on confused.

James grabbed Amy by the arm and spun her around. They stared at one another for a while before a large plate of glass fell to where she once stood.

"Be careful, Amy Pond." He said, smiling.


	8. Chapter 8

"You need to evacuate the building instantly." The Doctor said to Rachel the receptionist as he ran into the building, Amy following close behind.

"What's happening Doctor? I keep hearing creaking and smashing from outside, is everything alright?" Rachel asked, standing at her desk and jamming a buzzer on the wall. The lights instantly dimmed and a red beacon began flashing on all of the floors.

"Small matter of the building collapsing; everything's under control though." The Doctor said, jabbing at the lift button. After a while the lift doors opened. The Doctor was about to walk in when he noticed the platform wasn't there. He looked up in curiosity before jumping backwards and pulling Amy back with him. The lift hurtled past them and crashed to the floor below, sending debris upwards.

"Ah. Lift's out then." The Doctor said, smiling slightly at Rachel who still seemed in complete shock.

The Doctor and Amy instead made their way up the stairs, dodging the small number of people on their way out of the building.

"How many floors up is this?" Amy asked by floor twenty-one, her pace slowing noticeably.

"It's best not to ask. Anyway this has gotta beat corridors, right?" The Doctor cheerily asked, taking the stairs in his stride. Amy huffed and jogged slowly behind.

Amy soon found the clamour and hubbub of rooms and walls demolishing around her become mere background noise. This immense, beautiful building, being reduced to rubble whilst she was inside it. This didn't feel like the ship, that was almost second nature to her now; the number of vehicles she'd been aboard that ended up failing in some way was innumerable. But this building, the glistening shards of glass breaking into tiny pieces and falling around her was almost beautifully bitter sweet. And all because of revenge. One woman's quest to make her husband pay for his selfishness had led to this. Emotions were strong, powerful forces that far too often had the power to kill.

At floor twenty-six the Doctor came to a halt as he looked at the flight of stairs ahead; there was a large gap across the middle of them.

"The nanobytes have got in?" Amy asked, peering over his shoulder.

"They probably took a small detour; nothing serious. Up to the challenge?" He asked, a smirk on his face. He didn't wait for an answer, running at full pelt up the first few stairs and taking an uneasy leap across the gap. He landed unsteadily, having to stabilise himself. Eventually he placed his EMP device down on the upper balcony and went to offer his arms to Amy.

"Come on, simpler than it looks." He called down. Amy sighed.

She took a few steps back and began a light jog towards the stairs. As she approached them she could see the edge begin to curl downwards, before falling rapidly beneath her feet.

"Amy!" The Doctor yelled, as she hastily turned her body around and grabbed onto the remaining metal edge, screaming all the while. She pulled her body upwards, onto the lower landing, and sat against the wall, trying to catch her breath.

"Are you OK?" The Doctor shouted down.

"Yeah, yeah," Amy managed, not really looking in his direction. "You're gonna have to go on without me. I've done too much dangling from edges for one day." She called back.

"Just head back to the TARDIS. The stairs are clearly unsafe to stick around on for too long. Make sure everyone made it out of this building on your way back." The Doctor said, looking at the remaining flights above him.

"Will you be OK? How do you plan on getting back down exactly?" Amy unsteadily got to her feet and brushed down her trousers.

"I'll find a way, I always do. I once climbed Big Ben singlehandedly on a dare."

"What?"

"Well, it was a scale model and I was securely attached by gravi-pads but still..." The Doctor looked up in thought.

"Since you have such a glowing history I better leave you to it then," Amy said, hesitant to leave "Try not to die on me, OK?"

"I'll try." The Doctor gave a reassuring wave as Amy cautiously descended the stairs downwards.

Unlike Amy, the Doctor heard the noise around him. The shattering glass and collapsing metal structure. He heard every break, every tear. It didn't necessarily resonate with him- he had no real connection to this building. But he still felt it, purely because he felt the responsibility. Everyone had glossed over the fact that once again this was his fault. He'd brought this upon Earth. He'd saved a ship and a few remaining crew mates at the risk of a whole planet. He was old. And tired. And foolish. He had to solve this problem himself before he had another world on his conscience.


	9. Chapter 9

The Colonel gave a smile as the Doctor barged through the door to the roof.

"I did it Doctor. I've saved the planet."

The Doctor stared at the mast that the Colonel had set up. The Dalekanium at the base was glowing, absorbing gamma radiation at an increasingly rapid rate, and pumping it upwards into the atmosphere. Clouds were gathering above, darkening the sky and blocking out the light.

The Doctor went to destroy the mast somehow, before realising getting anywhere near the thing could kill him instantly.

"Colonel get away from there. If you don't die from exposure to the radiation then you'll die when this whole building collapses." The Doctor yelled over the pulsating mast.

"What do you mean?"

"There are nanobytes on the building; small creatures eating away at the structure of this whole place. If we're not careful they'll eat enough to collapse it altogether."

The Colonel thought for a moment before moving towards the Doctor. "But you don't-"

The Doctor's mouth dropped as the Colonel disintegrated before his eyes, his very being separating into millions of particles that heated and disappeared all at once. The mast had become erratic, sending spouts of radiation in all directions. The Doctor instinctively stepped back, before looking over the side of the roof. Half of the building had been eaten away, and loud creaks made it obvious the thing was close to falling out from under him. Good for destroying the mast, not so good for preserving the Doctor's life. He realised his homemade EMP device was useless to him- if anything the nanobytes were helping by taking the building down.

The Doctor heard a commotion behind him and turned around to see James barge through the door, Amy following close behind.

"Doctor, I met him on my way back down. I tried to stop him but..." Amy said.

"I'm here to help Doctor. I realised I can redirect the nanobytes, get them away from the building." James said defiantly.

"This is like déjà vu; like the ship all over again. I've told you already James; you need to get as far away from here as possible. All of us need to leave right now." The Doctor said, ushering everyone to the door.

"But Doctor, I need to help, I need to do something." James said, trying to walk past the Doctor.

"James, if you go near that thing..." The Doctor drifted off, something clicking in his head. "You'll become a bomb. Oh no." The Doctor put a hand to his face as the building once again creaked and crashed beneath them.

"Doctor what's wrong?" Amy asked, trying to look in his eyes.

The Doctor took a breath. "Amy, please remember none of this is right; this isn't how this is meant to happen." The Doctor said, looking at her with a stern face.

"OK." She replied hesitantly.

The Doctor took another breath out before taking out his EMP device and his sonic screwdriver. He began tampering with it, pulling out wires and changing connections.

"James, go towards the mast." The Doctor said without looking up. James seemed slightly taken aback, but followed instructions. Amy stared at him aghast.

"Doctor he'll die, you can't do that!" She yelled.

The Doctor seemed to ignore her, finished his tinkering, and threw the device at James.

"What's this?" James asked, looking over the flashing device he'd just caught.

"I'm sorry James but...you're bait." The Doctor said morosely. "I've changed the device to attract the nanobytes."

James stared at the Doctor before swallowing, nodding, and looking over the edge.

The Doctor immediately grabbed Amy whose face had darkened. "Don't do anything. Please, just trust me." He said.

She didn't respond, instead watching James intently. After a while his body began to glow slightly. Then he let out a scream.

"They're on my leg Doctor. Doctor I can feel them." He yelled. The Doctor simply nodded.

His glowing became more intense. His screams became more resonant. His body began to clearly deteriorate, arms and legs visibly being eaten away.

"What's happening to him?" Amy screamed over the noise.

"Look away." The Doctor said at last. Amy did nothing. "Look away!" The Doctor yelled, shielding her. There was a loud bang and explosion behind them.

Amy pushed the Doctor away and looked past. Nothing remained of James except for tiny floating particles that shone in the light.

"He absorbed gamma radiation and the nanobytes all at once. I made him a bomb, Amy." The Doctor said before she had chance to ask. She turned around slowly.

"But why." She said bitterly, her voice icy cold and her eyes full of tears.

"So this would happen." He said calmly.

As he did so, the building began to shake. Amy saw that where James had once stood there was now had a large hole in the floor; cracks shot out around it and the building was falling inwards. The Doctor took Amy into his arms as the ground violently shook below them.

"We're going to die." Amy sobbed silently.

"No. We're going home." The Doctor said quietly. He closed his eyes as the floor fell beneath them and they plummeted through the rubble.


	10. Chapter 10

Amy opened her eyes. They were fuzzy, and she rubbed them with the palm of her hand, lifting her head from the floor. The whir of the TARDIS brought her back around and she realised where she was. She looked up and saw the Doctor happily jamming on controls as always. He smiled as he saw her come to. She looked around herself and realised she was lying on the console room floor.

"Don't tell me that was just a dream." She said hazily, self righting herself as she stood and walked towards the Doctor.

"No, nothing that weird. Just time sorting itself out."

"I don't..." Amy started.

"I realised when we were about to leave the roof; that was how Earth was going to be destroyed. I had assumed when the nanobytes made it to the top of the building it would be in such a condition it would just collapse. I never even considered the thought that they'd get that far. But they did. Or at least would have. At which point they would've mixed with the gamma radiation and destroyed the whole planet. So I realised I had to take down the building myself." The Doctor looked away.

Amy suddenly remembered what had happened. Her mood darkened, but giving sense to the situation made it slightly better. "You didn't have to kill him though."

The Doctor stopped and looked at her. "That was my point; none of it happened. None of it was supposed to happen. We were in a timeline that didn't exist; that was a James that should never have been."

"It doesn't matter. He was still alive, still a person. You can't say just because he was in a timeline that didn't suit you he was disposable."

The Doctor closed his eyes and nodded. "I guess not. But he saved the planet. Ultimately saved millions. He gave his life to correct all that was and all that ever will be. I think that's how he would have wanted to be remembered."

Amy thought for a moment and sighed. "Where are we anyway?" She asked, hastily changing the subject.

"There's a maiden voyage we need to watch." The Doctor said, running past her to the doors, opening them and ushering her past.

When she stepped outside she realised they'd landed among a crowd of thousands. The sky was a deep orange, and she could make out a large cityscape behind her. They were clearly out in some separate area, the grass heading in all directions around them. The crowd was noisily cheering and waving. The Doctor followed behind her and helped her push through the crowd until they were at the front. She stared at him confused, before she realised what she was looking at- the ship that had taken them to Earth in the first place.

"They're off to explore Palladio. A beautiful planet, lost many years ago. But no dangers. Just forever blossoming trees and pools of silver water. I'll take you sometime. They're in for a treat." He grinned.

Amy smiled. She looked at the deck and saw the crew waving back; they were exactly the same. The Professor, the Captain and of course James. Her heart skipped when she saw him, as he waved fervently at the crowd ahead. And even though she knew he had no clue who she was, she waved back.


End file.
